At my massage earlier this week, my masseuse and I got to talking about the importance of taking the time to take care of ourselves. I have several recurring and annoying back/shoulder issues. I have learned that my body responds really well to heat and massage, so I have made it a priority that I get at least one professional massage a month, and I supplement that with a heated neck wrap and a couple of plug-in massage pillows whenever I can.
At times I feel guilty about all of the attention that I give my back (feeling good about taking care of myself is such a challenge for me), but mostly I really enjoy how relaxing and soothing it feels. I was delighted to learn at my massage this week that the self care has been paying off – my persistent shoulder issues (including pain and weakness) have healed to the point that they are barely a factor in my daily life, and they are barely noticeable by a masseuse. I credit the various forms of self care with making these changes possible.
Another way that I try to take care of myself is through paying attention to what I eat and exercising every day. Given that I have the metabolism (and the genes) of a Russian peasant, if I don’t work at staying the same size, I will balloon to a much bigger one. I know – I have been there. I do let myself splurge occasionally in the food department (about once a week, except during the holidays, when it’s more often), because I feel strongly that inflexible deprivation does more harm than good and that most things in moderation are not that bad. But when I splurge, I immediately return to my more mindful habits so that the splurge is contained and becomes more of a blip in an overall healthy eating pattern.
I recently learned that this form of self care has benefitted me in a number of ways. I began working with a new primary care physician, and she ran a full battery of blood tests and physical tests. The results were excellent across the board, even in areas like total cholesterol, where I have a family history of issues. We discussed that paying attention to what I eat and exercising regularly certainly played a role in these areas of my overall health.
Rather than feel guilty about self care, I am going to take a new tack and be proud of the ways that I am good to myself. I am also going to look for new ways to be good to myself. All of this will make me healthier, stronger, and better able to give my best to others.
